This is Me
by RedQueenMiku
Summary: They say that you should know your enemy, but this is ridiculous! When Larry Koopa and Luigi find themselves in each other's bodies, they have to pretend to be each other and try to get back home, but what happens when things take a turn for the worst?
1. This Fight is Over

Larry Koopa psyched himself up. Mario would be coming in a few moments and, this time, Larry had a plan that couldn't possibly fail. That portly plumber would never be getting by him. Not this time.

From the minute that his dad, King Bowser, told him to get the Koopalings ready for another invasion, he was thrilled. He'd been planning for months how to best Mario and now was his time to show Bowser what he could really do. Once again, he'd set himself on the front line of the attack. It was something he'd taken to doing ever since the get-go. As leader of the Koopaling Special Task Force, he felt that it was his duty to set himself and his siblings up for success and, most times, he felt that setting himself up as the first line of defense was only necessary. Sure, there were exceptions. He'd put Iggy or Lemmy on the front lines before, but, in the end, he mostly found himself best-suited for the job.

Being in charge of the Koopaling Special Task Force was a position Larry took gladly. At the time, Ludwig was still due to be heir to the Koopa throne and, even still, he was also Bowser's top military advisor right alongside Kamek. As such, Ludwig didn't really have a lot of time to deal specifically in what the Koopalings were going to do, so that was a position that was offered to Larry, as he was counted as level-headed enough to take the job. It was a position that Larry had readily accepted and was still proud of to this day.

Just then, Larry heard footsteps. He tightened his grip on his wand and took up a battle stance. This was his time to shine. His opponent then skidded into the room, the telltale sign of his identity being his green cap.

"Ugh. It's just Luigi..."

"Hey!" Luigi cried. Luigi, Mario's younger brother, had always been considered as a much less significant threat to the Koopa clan than his older brother. Mario was practically a war machine, taking down army after army with just his bare hands and maybe a power-up or two. Luigi, though, was clumsy and timid. Sure, Luigi could jump higher than Mario, but jumping a foot higher can only get you so far. Still, though, Luigi was still at least somewhat of a threat. He'd need to be taken down as well.

"I was expecting Mario, but you'll do for now," Larry groaned.

Larry then lunged toward Luigi, his wand cloaked in flame. Luigi leaped aside, using the power of a fire flower to engulf his own hands in green flame. It was a fire-versus-fire battle that Larry was determined not to lose. Larry then shot multiple fireballs at Luigi, which were quickly dodged. Luigi then swiftly came down onto Larry's head. Larry dropped to the ground and retreated inside of his shell. His head was pounding and he needed a minute to recover. Luigi tried bombarding Larry with fireballs, but Larry's shell was completely fireproof. Despite this, though, Larry was beginning to heat up. Propelling himself forward with a quick spin, Larry lunged toward Luigi once more, this time from the safety of his own spiked shell, but this was dodged as well. Feeling up to it, he then decided to show himself once again. He wondered exactly how long it would take until he could land a hit on Luigi, or how long he could even last if the battle kept going how it was.

* * *

A lone Magikoopa was perched somewhere above the battlefield. His job was simple. He was supposed to fly out over the battlefield before the fight started and give his assigned Koopaling a special magical power-up. This Magikoopa, though, was distracted. He didn't even know the fight had begun. He was completely preoccupied with the book he was reading. A sudden fireball scorching the wall just near him, though, snapped him back into reality. He cursed himself for getting so distracted and hastily grabbed his broom and flew out over the battlefield. He recited a random spell, whichever one came to his head first. He didn't care which one it was. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

* * *

The fire was flying all across the battlefield at this point. Just then, Larry scored a hit on Luigi, knocking him backward into a wall. Luigi's firepower was now gone. Larry couldn't help but crack a grin. Things were finally going right for him. Just then, he noticed something above him. He looked up and saw a Magikoopa soaring in the air just above him.

"Took him long enough," Larry scoffed. As the magic dust began to fall, he waited to feel the power it would give him, but it never happened. In fact nothing happened at all. The Magikoopa then flew away, supposedly content with his work.

"Hey!" Larry yelled, "Come back! Nothing happened!"

Just then, a shiver traveled up Larry's spine. Was it happening now?

* * *

Luigi watched Larry call out to the Magikoopa that had just flown past. He then got up and prepared himself for Larry's next attack, but, instead, Larry froze, overtaken for a second by a quick shudder. Luigi took a step backwards, but he then began to feel lightheaded. He let himself slump back against the wall behind him. Larry turned around and began toward Luigi, but, hallway across the room, Larry suddenly collapsed. Luigi stared in horror at the Koopaling, now lying motionless on the floor. Luigi's vision then began to blur before he too fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Mario quickly leaped out of the way of a Thwomp that had come crashing down a little earlier than expected. He'd been lucky to escape that one. He now found himself just outside the door that would lead him to the Koopaling he'd have to defeat to reclaim this castle. He'd left the first castle to Luigi so that, together, the two of them could reclaim the Mushroom Kingdom territories faster.

As Mario swung open the large doors in front of him, he began mentally preparing himself for the fight ahead. He knew he would be fighting Morton this time, so he went over the list in his head of tricks he knew Morton might pull out. It was never easy for Mario to fight the Koopalings, not just because they were hard to defeat, but also because Mario knew they were all still young. He knew that Morton was still only twelve years old, though he looked older than he was. He he had to set his inhibitions aside, though, for the sake of the Mushroom Kingdom. The Koopalings were some of Bowser's greatest fighters. They had to be defeated if peace was to be returned to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Just then, though, Morton ran by right past Mario. Mario, bewildered, quickly rushed after him.

"What's going on?!" Mario called out.

"Larry's in trouble! Something happened!"

Mario gasped in surprise. Larry was in Grassland right now, which was exactly where Luigi was as well. If Larry was in this much trouble to where Morton would leave his post to go find him, then there was a good chance that Luigi was in trouble as well.

* * *

Mario burst into the final chamber of the Grassland castle. He found that Morton had already arrived. He was now standing over an unconscious Larry. On the other side of the room, Luigi also lay unconscious. Mario immediately rushed over to his brother, cradling him in his arms.

"Hey," Morton called to Mario. Mario turned to face Morton, who had heaved Larry up over his shoulder.

"What?" Mario asked.

"Just take my castle," Morton said reluctantly, "I surrender."

Before Mario could even register what had just happened, Morton ran off. Mario then decided that it would be best to get Luigi home before he continued on his journey.

* * *

Larry's eyes fluttered open. He stared at the ceiling above him for a moment, trying to register what had just happened. He then took a moment to think about the ceiling. It was a stark white, unlike any of the ceilings back at Bowser Castle or even at the castle he was just in. He shot up in an instant, frantically looking around. The "room" he was in had two beds, one decorated with a red bedspread and the other, the one he was in, with a green one. The room itself was actually more like a loft with the rest of the house laid out below in an open-concept fashion. Just then, he caught a glimpse of a portrait on the wall. It was the Mario Brothers, Mario's arm draped over Luigi's shoulder and the two of them grinning.

"A-am I...inside the Mario Brothers' house?!"

Larry reeled back. Why was he here? He lifted his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, but quickly jerked it backward again, gaping in horror at it. His hand was covered by a thick, white glove. Yanking the glove off of his hand, he quickly found that it wasn't even his own hand, but it was, instead, that of a human. Panicking, Larry made for the bathroom to check his reflection in the mirror. What he saw, though, startled him even more than anything else had that day.

"I-I'm Luigi?!"

It was true. His head was adorned with the iconic green cap and his face was adorned with the iconic mustache. There was no mistaking it. Somehow, he'd switched bodies with Luigi.

"Wait a minute! If I'm Luigi...that means that Luigi is me!"


	2. I'm You and You're Me

Luigi stared in horror at the reflection staring him back in the mirror. Not only was he now a Koopa, he was Larry Koopa. To top it all off, he was now on one of the Koopalings' airships. He could barely keep from falling unconscious right then and there as he gripped the edge of the sink tightly to keep from collapsing onto the floor.

"Hey, Larry!"

Luigi whirled around. His grip on the sink let up and he immediately proceeded to fall over flat on his face. Trembling, he struggled to get to his feet, but his muscles were locking up in fear. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. He slowly turned to see Morton Koopa standing over him.

"You okay?" Morton asked, "You don't look so good. You should get some rest. We'll be back at the castle soon."

Luigi choked. He'd rather be anywhere else in the world right now than on the express ship to Bowser Castle. Of course, as long as he pretended to be Larry, he'd be fine...he hoped.

* * *

Larry stared straight forward, nervously tapping a rhythm with his fingers on the nightstand next to him. He'd gotten back into bed just after discovering that he was in Luigi's body. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen to Luigi if his father or his siblings discovered who he really was. He then began to wonder what Mario would do to him if he found out what had happened. The thought of it sent a shiver up his spine.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Larry got up out of bed and went to answer it. Upon opening the door, he found two Toads standing there, one blue and one yellow. The yellow one clutched a note in his right hand.

"Hey, Luigi!" the blue Toad said with a smile, "We're here to keep you company while Mario's out!"

Larry gave the Toad an incredulous look. Just then, the yellow Toad held out the note to him. He took the note and skimmed over it.

 _"Luigi,_

 _I've sent over Alagold and Buckenberry to stay with you while I'm gone. I should be home soon. In the meantime, be sure to get plenty of rest and don't let that tussle with Larry get to you. When I get home, we can play some games together. Sound good?_

 _Mario"_

Larry stared at the note for a moment longer. He had to wonder what had happened during that "tussle". Whatever it was, Mario clearly didn't know anything about it.

"When we left him, Mario was already about to fight the last Koopaling, so he should be home really soon!" the blue Toad, presumably Buckenberry, chimed in. Larry thought for a moment. By "the last Koopaling", Buckenberry must have meant Ludwig. Like usual, Larry and Ludwig had bookended the operation.

"He wanted us to see how you felt," the yellow Toad, whom Larry assumed to be Alagold, added.

"Fine," Larry said quickly. He didn't want to talk too much. He'd talked to himself a bit earlier and found that, even with Luigi's voice, his own cadence still showed through.

"Great!" Buckenberry said, racing inside past Luigi. Alagold followed close behind, shouting for his partner to stop. Larry whirled around and saw that Buckenberry had made straight for the kitchen. Alagold grabbed his partner by the back of his vest, dragging the protesting Toad away before he could raid any of the cabinets. Larry couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Morton would probably do the same thing in such a situation.

"So, what exactly did happen?" Alagold said suddenly, startling Larry.

"I don't-a know," Larry said, trying his best to fake Luigi's accent.

"Mario said something about a battle with Larry in his letter," Alagold continued, "I was just wondering what exactly that entailed. I just know that Larry has a tendency to not fight fair."

Larry had to hold himself back from denying the comment. He thought he'd fought pretty fairly this last time and he was even winning before-

"The Magikoopa!"

"Huh?" Alagold said, surprised by the sudden outburst.

"Ah! Nothing!" Larry replied. The Magikoopa had to be the reason all of this was happening. The spell had to have gone wrong somehow and switched Larry and Luigi's bodies. It had to be the solution. The only thing left to figure out now was how to get everything back to normal.

* * *

Luigi found himself wandering the halls of Bowser Castle wondering what he was going to do. It was bad enough that he was in Larry Koopa's body in the first place, but just being in Bowser's Castle made everything worse. What was he supposed to do now?

"Larry!"

The sudden call startled Luigi, sending him unintentionally stumbling forward. Remembering himself, he immediately whirled around to see Ludwig von Koopa marching toward him.

"Y-yes?" Luigi responded, trembling.

"You and I need to talk. Now," Ludwig said. Luigi nodded hesitantly and began to follow Ludwig down the hall. He knew he needed to act like he wasn't afraid, but that was proving to be much easier said than done.

Eventually, the two reached Ludwig's room. The first thing Luigi noticed about Ludwig's room is that it was an absolute mess. There were papers scattered everywhere, some blueprints and sketches and some musical compositions.

"What's the matter with you?" Ludwig asked, "Morton told me he had to pick you up from the Grassland castle. What happened?"

Luigi tried to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. He was too scared of saying the wrong thing to even say anything.

"You were fighting Luigi, right?" Ludwig went on, "I shouldn't think that Luigi would be too hard to beat."

Luigi held his tongue on purpose this time.

"Are you going to say anything, or am I going to have to end up dragging the information out of you?"

"I-I," Luigi stuttered, "I don't-a know."

"Huh?"

Luigi involuntarily slapped his hand over his mouth. He'd completely forgotten about his accent. Even if he had Larry's voice, his accent was an instant tell to his true identity as a Mario brother.

"Why are you speaking like one of those Mario brothers?" Ludwig asked suspiciously. Luigi choked. He didn't have a response for that. He almost wanted to make a mad dash out of the room, but that would just draw more suspicion. He couldn't just sit there, though. He had to make up some kind of excuse.

"I have a cold."

It was the worst excuse ever. He practically cringed after he said it. All he could do now was stare at Ludwig's bewildered look and wait for the Koopaling's response.

"A cold? Seriously? How stupid do you think I am?" Ludwig said, "You'd have to be as stupid as Roy to believe something as dumb as that."

Luigi couldn't help but chuckle a little. He'd never expected someone like Ludwig to make such a quip about his brother.

"Why are you laughing?" Ludwig snapped, "This is serious. I was worried about you when Morton told me what had happened and now I'm asking you about what happened. Quit making jokes and talk to me like I'm your superior rather than your brother."

Luigi winced. He was already on Ludwig's bad side. Now he had to think up an excuse for what happened during his battle with Larry and it had to be better than his last excuse or he'd really get it.

"You see," Luigi began, trying his best to mask his accent, "There was a...uh...the..."

Ludwig sighed in exasperation.

"Larry," Ludwig said, "You are a very important part of this army. Tell me what that part is."

Luigi froze. It would have been common knowledge for Larry, obviously, but Luigi had no idea how to answer the question.

"K-Koopaling?"

Ludwig slapped his hand on his forehead.

"Yes, you're a Koopaling, but what ELSE?"

"...the...Koopaling...with the fireballs?"

Ludwig gave Luigi an incredulous look. Luigi felt himself going pale.

"Okay," Ludwig said slowly, "So you're the Koopaling with the fireballs. What's your favorite band again?"

"Wh-why do you ask?" Luigi asked. It was obvious at this point that Ludwig was beginning to catch on and was trying to lead him into answering a trap question.

"I was just wondering for your birthday next week," Ludwig said, "I'm stuck on gift ideas and I was just wondering."

"How did we get from the battle with Luigi to my birthday?"

"Doesn't matter. Can you answer the question?"

It was an obvious trap.

"I just want to talk about the battle. Just get me whatever you want for my birthday."

"Okay, but Larry's birthday isn't for seven more months."

Luigi reeled back in shock, slipping on a piece of paper and falling onto his back. Because of the spikes on his shell, though, he couldn't get himself back up. If he couldn't get back up, he couldn't run. He felt like he could cry.

"Retract the spikes."

"Huh?"

"Retract the spikes," Ludwig repeated, "You can do that, you know."

Luigi concentrated his efforts on retracting the spikes and they eventually did so, finally allowing Luigi to get up.

"Who are you?" Ludwig asked, thankfully much more calmly than Luigi thought he'd be, "It's quite obvious you've never been a Koopa before, so I'd guess there's been a body switch involved. Who are you?"

Luigi choked again. He was afraid to tell Ludwig who he was.

"Well, that told me everything I needed to know," Ludwig said.

"I-it did?" Luigi stuttered.

"Yes," Ludwig continued, "You're Luigi."

"H-how did you know that?!"

"It was pretty obvious. The accent and the scared behavior gave it away pretty easily. I know you wouldn't want to tell a Koopa that you were a Mario brother."

"Please don't kill me!" Luigi begged. Ludwig stared at Luigi for a moment, then laughed, confusing the poor plumber.

"Kill you?" Ludwig said, "Of course not! You're in Larry's body! Why would I kill you when you're in Larry's body?"

Luigi sighed. He was relieved that he was safe, but he felt somewhat sick to his stomach knowing that it was only because he was in Larry's body.

"All we have to do now is figure out how to switch you and Larry back," Ludwig went on, "but it's not going to be easy. Larry's probably with Mario right now. We have to find some way to get Larry to come here, but without alerting anyone else about the switch."

"Why can't I go to him?" Luigi asked.

"Because Mario would stomp you if you went to him, that's why."

"W-well your Koopa Troop would go all-out against Larry if he came here!"

"Ugh," Ludwig groaned, "That is true."

Luigi tried his hardest to think of another solution. Ludwig looked as if he was doing the same. Just then, Ludwig's face lit up.

"That's it!" Ludwig cried, "We need Larry to come here on peaceful terms and there's only one way to do that."

"What way is that?" Luigi inquired.

"Mushroom Fever."

"Mushroom Fever?!" Luigi repeated in shock. Mushroom Fever was a fatal disease that only recently had a cure developed...by Mario.

"Mario's one of very few in the world who has the cure for Mushroom Fever, so, if one of us Koopalings were to contract it, King Dad would have little choice but to call Mario. Larry knows he needs to get back here, so he'd probably try to come with Mario. It's a perfect solution."

"B-but isn't Mushroom Fever deadly?!" Luigi pointed out.

"If there's just a little of it, it won't spread too quickly. That should give Mario enough time to get here. That is, of course, if he'd even bother to try to help a Koopa."

"Hey!" Luigi retorted, "Mario might fight you Koopas when he needs to, but he'd never leave one of you to die if there was something he could do about it! If one of you had Mushroom Fever, he'd help you just like he'd help anyone else!"

"That settles it then," Ludwig said, "I'll ask Iggy and Lemmy to help me create the viruses and then we'll put the plan in motion."

"I'm surprised you'd be willing to risk someone else's life like that."

"The plan is a bit of a long-shot, but, since I'm using the viruses on you, I'm hoping that gives Larry more of an incentive to make sure that Mario gets here in time."

"Wh-what?!"


	3. That Mushroom Fever

Larry sat in bed moping. Buckenberry and Alagold had offered to play a video game with him, but he'd declined for fear that he'd get carried away gaming and end up showing his real personality. All he could do now was sit and wait. He still had to think up a plan to get back to his own body as well, so that's what he was trying to do more than anything else.

Larry then heard the front door open. Mario was home. Mario thanked Buckenberry and Alagold for staying with Luigi while he was gone, then the two Toads left, leaving Larry alone with Mario. Mario then came upstairs to where Larry was.

"I'm home," Mario said with a smile as if Larry didn't already know.

"Hi," Larry said quickly.

"Are you angry about what happened with Larry?" Mario asked confusedly. Larry didn't reply. Mario then sat down on the bed next to him.

"I think I have something that will make you feel better," Mario said, "Princess Peach invited the two of us to a party at her castle. Princess Daisy's going to be there too. We're going to have some tea and cake and then we'll play a few games of tennis. How does that sound?"

Larry's eyes lit up. He'd always dreamed of playing tennis on one of Princess Peach's courts, which were rumored to be some of the best tennis courts in the world. Tennis was his absolute favorite sport and he never turned down an opportunity to play. Accepting this invitation would be like a dream come true.

"Yes!" Larry said excitedly, only barely remembering he was supposed to be acting like Luigi.

"All right!" Mario replied, "If you're feeling well enough, we'll leave in fifteen minutes."

With that, Mario left. That's when the reality of the situation hit Larry. He was going to have to pretend he was Luigi throughout an entire party. If he screwed up once, everyone was going to know about it.

"Why did I accept that dumb invitation?..."

* * *

Luigi watched Ludwig, Iggy, and Lemmy working hard at creating the Mushroom Fever viruses that he'd soon be infected with. The mere thought of it made him shudder. He was seated on the bottom bunk of the bunk bed in Iggy and Lemmy's room while the three Koopalings worked at the desk across the room. Ludwig had told Iggy and Lemmy that he needed the Mushroom Fever viruses to infect a Toad town in the Mushroom Kingdom, so, as a result, they were in the process of creating many more viruses than Ludwig needed in the first place. It was almost terrifying knowing that the viruses were right there in front of him.

Luigi decided to think about something else to take his mind off the virus. Ludwig was actually being pretty gracious in helping Luigi out, even though he was really only doing it for Larry's sake. There actually seemed to be a lot Luigi never knew about the Koopalings, though. For instance, he always had a premonition that Iggy was a pretty science-y kind of guy, but he never knew that Lemmy liked science as well. The two actually did a lot of their science experiments together, as Luigi had learned. He wondered what kind of science experiments they did together.

"Here we are," Ludwig said. Luigi then saw the jar that Ludwig was holding in his hands. It was a very large jar and there was a whole lot of what looked like foggy air inside of it. It was most likely hundreds and hundreds of the dreaded Mushroom Fever viruses.

"You're just lucky that so many of these can be manufactured in such a short amount of time," Iggy said before cracking a grin that unnerved Luigi.

"I can't wait to see how it works out!" Lemmy said cheerfully.

"I just hope it works as well as I think it will," Ludwig said, stealing a glance toward Luigi. Luigi knew that he was offhandedly referring to the plan to get Mario to come to Bowser Castle.

Just then, the door to the room was flung open, banging as it slammed against the wall. Ludwig faltered and almost dropped the jar with the viruses in it, but, luckily, he caught it in time.

"Hey!" shouted Roy Koopa, who had just entered the room, "King Dad wants to see Lud and Larry. Says it's important."

"Tell him we'll be right there," Ludwig said, repositioning the jar in his arms.

"I ain't nobody's messenger," Roy said, swinging his arm at Ludwig and knocking the jar out of his grasp. Ludwig tried to catch the jar, but it was flung too far. A cacophony of screams rose up in the room as the jar shattered on the floor. Ludwig then hurried across the room and slammed the door shut.

"Hey!" Roy yelled, "What gives? Why are you guys freaking out so much?"

"You idiot!" Ludwig screamed, "That jar was filled with a deadly virus!"

"There was enough of the virus in that jar to infect an entire Toad village!" Iggy added.

"S-so what happens now?!" Luigi cried.

"We can't let anyone else contract the virus," Ludwig explained, "It's highly contagious."

"A-are we going to die?!" Lemmy cried. No one answered. Instead, Ludwig took out a cell phone and dialed a number.

"Who are you calling?" Roy asked.

"King Dad." Ludwig answered. It took a moment, but, finally, Bowser answered Ludwig's call.

"King Dad?...Yes, this is Ludwig...Well, we were going to come, but-...yes...yes, I know that, but-...King Dad, please! This is urgent!...You see, Iggy, Lemmy, and I were working on a little, um, side project of mine, but it kind of got loose. Roy and Larry are here too and-...yes...You're asking what it was?...Well, it was an entire Toad village's worth of the Mushroom Fever."

* * *

The trip to Princess Peach's castle was, for the most part, a silent one. Larry decided that he was only going to speak if he was spoken to and, even then, only when it was absolutely necessary.

"Are you sure you're okay, Luigi?" Mario asked. Larry nodded in reply. Just then, a uniformed Paratroopa alighted in front of Mario and Larry. Larry immediately recognized the uniform as that of the royal messengers of the Koopa Empire, but why was a Koopa messenger coming to Mario and Luigi?

"Mister Mario," the Paratroopa began, "The Koopa Empire urgently requests your assistance with a most important matter."

"Bowser needs my help?" Mario asked confusedly. Larry couldn't help but be confused as well. He couldn't think of a single reason why his father would need Mario's help, much less work up the gall to ask for it.

"There has been an outbreak of the Mushroom Fever at the castle," the Paratroopa continued. Larry reeled back.

"Has anyone been infected yet?" Mario asked.

"Five of the Koopalings have been infected with a very large amount of the virus."

Larry felt like he was going to be sick. He collapsed to his knees, his head in his hands. He could practically feel Mario staring at him, but he couldn't find the strength to stand up again. He knew how fatal the Mushroom Fever could be and he couldn't bear the thought of losing five of his siblings to the disease. There was even a chance that Luigi could be one of the five Koopalings that were infected, which was even worse.

"I'll try my hardest," Mario said. Larry then heard the Paratroopa fly away. After that, Mario helped Larry back to his feet.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mario asked.

"We have to go or we'll never get there on time," Larry said, forgetting to fake an accent. Mario seemed genuinely bewildered, but decided to go along with the request anyway, hurrying back toward the house while trying to keep Larry on his feet as well.

"What's going on with you today?" Mario asked as they walked, "You're acting strange."

"I'm fine," Larry muttered. He wasn't even thinking straight anymore. All he could focus on was making sure Mario could get to his siblings in time to save them.

"No," Mario said, "You're not fine. You're not even acting like yourself. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"It was that fight with Larry, wasn't it?"

"I'm fine."

"I need you to tell me what happened during that fight."

"What did they do?"

"Luigi! Answer me!"

"The fight's not important!" Larry screamed, "I just need you to save them! Please, Mario! Save them!"

Everything was silent for a moment. The only sound was that of Mario and Larry's hurried footsteps.

"You," Mario finally said, "You're not Luigi, are you?"

"I'm fine."

"No. You're not Luigi. That's what must have happened during that battle."

"Fine. I'm not Luigi. I'm Larry Koopa. Our bodies got switched during the battle because of my lazy excuse for a Magikoopa. What are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing."

"Huh?!"

Larry almost stopped short, but, instead, stumbled forward, remembering that he was supposed to be hurrying.

"It was a mistake," Mario replied "I can understand that."

"Y-you can?" Larry stuttered, "So, you're not angry?"

"Well, I don't blame you for it, if that's what you mean."

"So you are angry?"

"I just know what's important right now."

"Right," Larry sighed, "Well, you see, there's a pretty good chance that Luigi's one of the ones that caught the Mushroom Fever."

"I know that now."

"Yeah," Larry muttered. He'd sensed the change in Mario's pace after Larry's outburst. He was definitely going faster now. Even now, they were still accelerating and were almost running now.


	4. The Doctor is on His Way

The rest of the way back to the house, Mario said nothing. As such, Larry didn't feel the need to say anything either. Once back at the house, Mario began to gather the things he'd needed to cure the Mushroom Fever. A lot of it was complicated machinery and various kinds of pills. As Mario did this, Larry sat at the kitchen table as he wasn't needed. He'd asked Mario if he needed any help getting everything together, but Mario had answered by shaking his head to say "no". Just then, something landed on the table beside Larry. It was a gas mask.

"What's this for?" Larry asked.

"It's to keep from catching Mushroom Fever," Mario replied, not turning away from what he was doing. He then picked up two large bags and made for the door, Larry following close behind.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Larry asked.

"You can come if you want," Mario said. Larry could sense that Mario didn't want him around, but he knew Mario wasn't going to say no.

"You really don't want me around, do you?"

"What made you think that?" Mario replied.

"I can feel it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I'd be the same way if I were you, only I'd probably actually say it."

"All right."

"..."

"You started going faster when you realized Luigi was involved."

"D-did I?"

"You don't really care about us, do you? Are you just helping us to keep up your image or what?"

"That's not true!"

"It sure seems like it."

"I really do care. It's just that..."

"Just that what?"

"I don't know you like I know Luigi. Luigi's the best brother I could ever hope to have. I don't think I could bear to lose him."

"That's how I feel about my siblings, you know. I love every single one of them. I couldn't bear to lose any of them, much less that many."

"I know what it's like to lose someone to Mushroom Fever too. My mother died of Mushroom Fever after giving birth to Junior. It felt like having my heart ripped out. I don't ever want to feel something like that ever again."

"I'm so sorry..."

Larry took a deep breath. He and Mario were running as fast as they could, but, for whatever reason, he didn't feel like he was tiring at all.

"I'm sorry for accusing you like that," Larry said.

"I'm sorry for my assumptions as well," Mario replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really know how your family works. I don't know the relationships between all of you. I tend to just assume things. It's just really hard to know how things work on the other side of the battle lines."

"I assumed a lot too, and you're right. It is really hard to know how things go down on the other side until you've been there yourself. I definitely learned a lot today."

"I did too. Thank you."

Mario smiled at Larry and, for the first time, Larry smiled back. They then continued on to their destination: Bowser Castle.

* * *

The Mushroom Fever was known to be stronger the more viruses were in one's system. With how many viruses were in Luigi's system, his condition was deteriorating quickly. He and the other four Koopalings had decided to wait things out in Iggy and Lemmy's room and, by this time, they'd all pretty much collapsed wherever they were. Little Lemmy had already fallen unconscious and Iggy was right by his side, his arm around his brother. Roy was slumped over in the corner with only the occasional coughing fit signaling that he was still conscious. Ludwig was beside Luigi and was trying his best not to show the effects of the Fever sapping away his strength.

"I'm so sorry," Ludwig said in a raspy whisper, which seemed to be the loudest he could get his voice at that time, "I messed everything up."

"It's okay," Luigi replied.

"It's not okay," Ludwig retorted, "We're all going to die because of this stupid plan."

"He'll be here."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know Mario. He'll be here."

"Sure. Keep believing in that."

"You don't?"

"Of course I don't. There's no way he can get here in time."

"I believe in him."

"Because you can't take the thought of dying?"

"Because I know he'll come."

Ludwig was silent for a moment before breaking into a coughing fit. Luigi let his muscles relax as he stared up at the ceiling. He just had to keep telling himself over and over again that Mario would be here soon and everything would be all right, wouldn't it?

* * *

Finally, Mario and Larry arrived in Neo Bowser City. Bowser Castle was straight ahead. It hadn't taken too long thanks to Mario's knowledge of what Warp Pipes led where. In fact, it was a much shorter trip than Larry thought it would be.

"Are you ready?" Mario asked.

"As I'll ever be," Larry replied. He and Mario both donned their gas masks and headed into Bowser Castle. One of the guards showed Mario and Larry to the room where the Mushroom Fever was currently being contained.

"Iggy and Lemmy's room," Larry muttered to himself. That probably meant that the twin Koopalings were behind this whole mess.

Mario then swung open the door, quickly closing it once both he and Larry were inside. Iggy, Lemmy, Roy, Ludwig, and Luigi were all inside and they all seemed to be in pretty bad condition. Lemmy was even unconscious. Larry immediately looked to Mario, who was looking straight at Luigi.

"Mario," Larry said, trying to get Mario's attention. Mario then snapped out of his daze and began to look around the room some more. He then decided to treat Lemmy first, much to Larry's relief. Lemmy definitely looked like he needed care first and foremost. While Mario got to work, Larry crossed the room and sat down next to Luigi and Ludwig.

"I told you he'd come," Luigi said to Ludwig.

"How did this even happen?" Larry asked.

"It was my fault," Ludwig confessed, much to Larry's surprise, "I created the viruses with Iggy and Lemmy. I just...I was trying to get you to come here."

"Us?" Larry inquired confusedly, "Why us?"

"Well," Ludwig replied, "I couldn't just leave my brother in Luigi's body, could I?"

"H-how did you know about that?!" Larry asked.

"Luigi's really bad at being you, that's how."

"Well, Mario knows too."

"Mario knows?!" Luigi said.

"Yeah," Larry replied, "It kind of came out after the message came to us about the Mushroom Fever. He and I got to have a nice, long talk on the way over here."

"And?" Luigi asked.

"It was actually kind of nice being able to just talk with him for once. We definitely learned a lot about each other."

"And I learned a lot about the Mushroom Fever today," Ludwig butted in, "Now, I just want it out of my system before it decides to kill me."

"Don't worry," Larry said, "Mario knows what he's doing. He'll get to you soon enough."

Ludwig sighed in exasperation. Larry looked back at Mario, who had just finished administering the medication to Lemmy. Already the little Koopaling was beginning to regain consciousness and was beginning to look much better. Larry smiled. Everything was going to be okay now.

* * *

Larry stood across from Luigi, ready to reclaim his own body. The Magikoopa from before had been found and scolded for what he'd done and was now ready to reverse the spell. Mario and Ludwig stood at a distance to watch. As the Magikoopa recited the spell, Larry felt the same chill up his spine as the first time before he once again collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

Luigi had been a bit afraid of how the spell would work the second time, but, as he regained consciousness, he found that he was now back in his own body.

"Yes! Yes!"

Luigi looked up to find Larry Koopa cheering with glee, now back in his own body as well. Luigi couldn't help but smile. Luigi was then caught in a sudden hug by his brother.

"I missed you, Luigi," Mario said.

"I missed you too, bro," Luigi replied.

"You really scared me."

"Sorry," Luigi said with a smile. Mario smiled back, giving Luigi a playful shove.

* * *

Larry laughed as he watched Mario and Luigi reunite with each other. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Ludwig standing over him.

"It's good to have you back," Ludwig said with a slight grin. Larry smiled back, giving Ludwig a thumbs-up.

"It took enough to get to this point," Ludwig continued, his smile fading.

"Yeah," Larry said, looking back to Mario and Luigi.

"I hope you didn't get too attached to them," Ludwig said, obviously referring to Mario and Luigi, "After all, we do still need to fight them."

"Right," Larry replied with a firm nod. It was important to remember with whom he was really aligned.

"It never hurts, though," Larry continued, "to learn from your enemies sometimes. They can have some pretty great stuff to teach you every once in a while."


End file.
